Logos Eudae 29 Review: 2,500-Mile Test

A quality carbon wheelset remains one of my favorite upgrades for any bike, whether it’s a burly steel rigid klunker or a modern suspension-equipped singletrack machine. Carbon hoops offer a substantial reduction in weight and often provide a better ride feel compared to aluminum rims. Further, they can offer superior reliability and durability, which I’ll delve into later. The only downside is that they come with a high price tag. And when making such a significant investment, you want assurance that they deliver and will last long enough to make them worth it, or ideally last the duration of your bike life. Over the past few years, I’ve been on the quest for wheels that meet these criteria and don’t completely break the bank, and I’ve quietly logged countless miles on a few sets to share my findings.

One standout product was the Thesis Bikes 650B gravel wheelset I had mounted on my All-City (RIP) Gorilla Monsoon. What caught my attention in 2017 when I built that bike was that those wheels checked off several boxes that other carbon wheelsets didn’t. They had 27.4mm internal width rims, which were honestly a lot wider than most “gravel” wheels at the time. They were built with reliable DT350 hubs, and featured 28-count steel spokes—many gravel wheels only have 24. They were also $999, which was significantly more affordable than comparable options.

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After a successful long-term test of that wheelset, I was happy to learn that Thesis used it as a springboard to launch a wheel and component company, Lōgōs Components, in August 2022. This new venture introduced a collection of 650B, 700C, and 29er wheelsets equipped with their own hubs and a meticulously thought-out philosophy. I’ve put the Eudae 29 through its paces, knocking them around on a lot of rough terrain while bikepacking, trail riding, and race training.

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The name “Lōgōs” is a fitting choice for a brand born from the minds at Thesis. It was derived from the Greek word for reason or, in Jungian psychology, the principle of reason and judgment. Taking it a step further, the Eudae wheelset gets its name from “eudaemonia,” a Greek term that literally translates to the state or condition of “good spirit,” or a state of human flourishing achieved through virtuous living, as defined by Logos. It’s an apt name for the fundamental component on a machine that has the potential to take you to a state of joyous well-being, I suppose. All these names are well-suited, but none more so than the brand’s hubset: “Arché,” yet another Greek philosophical term roughly meaning a first principle from which other principles are derived.

Open-source Hubs

Arché hubs are based on the star ratchet design patented by Hügi in the 90s and later popularized by DT Swiss via the DT350 and DT240, two legendary hubs that are renowned for their robust dependability. According to Logos, this design serves as the “archetype” for bombproof reliability. The name is fitting considering that a lot of folks in bike touring and bikepacking circles consider the DT350/240’s star ratchet driver as the gold standard. Prestige and branding aside, Arché hubs use the same internals and bearing sizes as the original DT350 and (non-EXP) 240, making it easy to find readily-available replacement parts at about any local bike shop—that includes ratchets, springs, bearings, and freehubs; I actually swapped the XD freehub that came on this wheelset with an HG freehub I had on an old DT350 when I converted my Sirius S5 to a singlespeed. You can also easily upgrade the star ratchet to the quicker 54-tooth ratchet to get 6.6° of engagement versus the 10° of engagement that the stock 36T ratchet offers.

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Durability and Reliability

The demo Eudae 29 wheelset I used for this review has seen it all. It’s endured more than 500 miles of fully loaded bikepacking trips and countless trail rides on three different bikes. Its most noteworthy tasks included a tour of duty on two build iterations on my Pipedream S5, with the latter setup as a singlespeed for a rigorous two-and-a-half-month training regimen and a race earlier this spring. Currently, it’s gracing the dropouts on another bike I’m testing. In total, I estimate that I’ve put over 2,500 miles on these wheels, many of which involved demanding rides on lots of rugged, rocky, and rooty singletrack.

An oft-overlooked advantage of carbon rim-equipped wheels is their ability to maintain alignment and stay true. Unlike aluminum rims, which can bend and sometimes demand uneven spoke tension to correct, carbon rims are pretty much impervious to deformation. With proper maintenance—and provided they aren’t structurally damaged—carbon rims can be consistently trued with evenly balanced spoke tension. In contrast, wheels with bent or warped aluminum rims may prove challenging, if not impossible, to bring back into a true and stable state. This plays an important role in spoke longevity. I’ve met all too many cyclists on long bike tours who have had a wheel go out of true that resulted in a procession of broken spokes. In my experience, spokepocalypse events are far less likely to happen when using carbon rims. Once carbon wheels are properly built, you typically don’t need to do much of anything. The spokes remain tight and don’t usually need regular truing. The Eudae 29 is a great example. These wheels are as true today as they were on day one.

On a related note, I also appreciate Logos’ use of straight-pull flanges and spokes. The Eudae 29 uses 28 Pillar Wing spokes in a three-cross pattern and a universal 300mm spoke length, which means you only have to carry one or two spares for a long trip.

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The only issue I encountered with these wheels was the need to replace the hub shell bearings after approximately 1,500 miles. This isn’t necessarily uncommon in my experience. I’ve had some hub bearings that lasted longer and others with shorter lifespans. It’s important to mention that the wheels I tested were equipped with a different set of bearings than the current Eudae models. Due to the supply chain challenges during the COVID crisis when I first got the Eudae 29 wheelset, Logos fitted them with ABEC-3 6902 bearings, whereas the production wheels now come with ABEC-5 6902 bearings. Generally, a higher ABEC rating indicates greater bearing accuracy and precision, so ABEC-5 bearings should have a longer lifespan. For those looking to further extend bearing life, Logos recommends Enduro XD-15 bearings for their wheels, especially for bikepackers and CX racers. They’re crafted from European Aerospace-grade stainless steel, paired with high-grade ceramic balls, resulting in a bearing that’s touted as nearly indestructible.

Ride Feel

First off, these wheels are very light. You’ll be hard-pressed to find many other trail-rated mountain bike wheels that come in under 1,600 grams. As you can see in the comparison chart below, they’re lighter than all the other sub-$1,600 trail wheel options that have been on our radar recently.

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I was a little skeptical about the featherweight Eudae 29s at first. I primarily used them on my Pipedream S5, which is honestly the most confidence-inspiring hardtail I’ve thrown a leg over by a significant margin. The Eudae 29 wheels were at home on this bike, however, and I never felt undergunned or concerned that I was writing checks that those wheels couldn’t cash. Consequently, they endured quite the beating. I racked up many pace-pushing, six-hour training rides this spring where exhaustion sometimes led to sloppy lines on tough singletrack. The S5’s ultra-slack head tube angle and a grippy Maxxis Assegai front tire made for a forgiving front end, but as a result, the rear Eudae rim experienced numerous knocks and collisions with roots and rocks as well as hard impacts from jumps and drops. There were plenty of moments where I audibly uttered “ooph” upon hearing the tire the trademark “donk” from the rim bottoming out on a rock or root. Still, after recently inspecting both rims closely, there’s nothing concerning as far as damage, just a few scuffs and scrapes on the sides from errant rocks and debris. No doubt, aluminum rims would have plenty of dents after that level of abuse.

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All in all, Logos seems to have concocted a winning formula to achieve a well-balanced ride feel with the Eudae 29, at least for my style and level of riding. I believe this owes as much to the 28 spoke count as it does to the carbon composition of the rims. In many ways, the Eudae 29 reminded me of the I9 Enduro S Carbon wheelset I reviewed. They both strike an excellent balance, delivering a solid enough construction for precise handling while offering just the right amount of suppleness to take the edge off and prevent an overly harsh ride. That being said, I’m about 170 pounds and don’t ride at an “enduro” level in terms of big air, aggressive drifting, or ultra-fast downhill speeds. Still, I ride tough stuff, and the Eudae seemed poised in the corners and handily pounded through a lot more than what I believe they’re marketed for. Bigger or more aggressive riders might consider Logos’ new Eudae 29 HD, which are equipped with heavier-duty rims that weigh about 100 grams more than the standard version.

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• Model/Size Tested: Logos Eudae 29
• Actual Weight: 1,598 grams (56.4 oz)
• Place of Manufacture: China and Taiwan
• Price: $1,299
• Manufacturer’s Details: Logos Components

Further Reading

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